How Far Would You Go? (TMNT x Reader)
by myfluffypenguin
Summary: You were forced into a deal with Agent Bishop and the Purple Dragons. The threats were too much to risk if you resisted, so you complied. That was about a month ago. Now "the deal" is taking a turn for the worst. Things are getting icky. The only person you told of these tortures is April O' Neil and you make her promise not to tell the turtles about this- especially Leo.
1. Chapter 1

Your eyes flutter open as you slowly regain consciousness. Your head feels heavy and it is throbbing badly. Your limbs feel like led and every muscle in them are sore. On top of that, you are still bleeding. Bruises cover you from head to toe. It hurts everywhere.

Once your vision clears, you realize you are lying on the cold, dirt floor of a warehouse. The silver light of the moon pours through the cracks and crevasses of the old, abandoned building and a chilling wind passes over you. Other than your shaky breathing, it is completely silent. If only you knew what the Purple Dragons were planning do this time, you would have paged April for help—deal or not.

You have been doing this _deal_ with Agent Bishop and the Dragons for about a month before you finally caved to April about this. Even though they made you vow never to speak about this _deal _to anyone, you couldn't keep this in the dark any longer. When you told her what was going on, April insisted on letting the guys know, or at least calling the police. Of course, you denied her advice. You explained that more lives than just yours are at stake if you didn't fulfill you part of the bargain with Bishop. She insisted again, but you were too stubborn, or too scared to accept it. You told her you could handle it on your own. Until you figure a way out of this mess, you begged her not to tell the turtles about this—especially Leonardo. If they found out how much trouble you were in, they would probably go crash down the Purple Dragon's door, which is exactly what Bishop wanted them to do.

You wince at the pain surging through your body as you try to get up. Everything hurt, but you had to get up. You've walked away from these beatings before, but you concluded Bishop was getting tired of waiting. He unleashed unspeakable tortures upon you this time to make you crack. He said he wouldn't kill you, but if he is going to rough you up this badly next time, you just might die. You take deep breaths and moan loudly as you slowly push yourself up on your damaged arms and legs. You slip off your bloodstained jacket. It was torn and shredded up so much it couldn't even be worn any more. You finally gathered the strength to hoist yourself up. You held your side, still bleeding from the whipping it took. Your legs were trembling so much that you were sure you would fall over again if you tried to walk. But you had to try.

You take a step and your body sways. You grunt in pain, but you are still standing—barely. You beg your body to hang on a little longer until you find help. You limp your way out of the warehouse and into the cold night.

You don't know how long you have been walking or where you were going because your vision is blurring in and out; however, after a while, your body can not take much more. That's when you finally collapse. Your head is spinning, the cold air stings against your open wounds, and you have no strength left. You just lie there in a messy heap, helpless.

You suddenly hear a voice in the distance. "(Name)!" You open your eyes. "(Name)!" A blurry figure comes running towards you. Your gut cringes and you attempt to inch away when you recognize it is April's voice. If she sees you like this, she will undoubtingly call the guys.

"No," you sob. "No, no, no. Please."

"(Name,) what happened?" April asks, horrified as she knelt beside your twitching body.

"Please, don't. Please," you beg again.

April lays her warm hand on your bruised face. "You can't keep going on like this."

"I'll figure it out," you cough.

"No. It's time to let the guys know."

"That's what Bishop wants," you croak.

"Forget Bishop," April snaps. She rarely snaps. "Right now, we have to get you help." You look into her eyes. They were full of concern and sadness. April was like your second mom of your second family—your mutant family. You nod in surrender and close your eyes. You hear her quickly pull out her cell and call a number. "Donnie, its April" you hear her say, "I need you here right away. (Name's) hurt. I'll explain everything later, but for right now she needs help…"

April tries to keep you warm as you lie limp in her lap. After a while, you hear truck tires racing up the road. The rumble of its engine drew closer and closer until it finally screeches to a halt. You open your eyes half way. The Shellrazor doors slide open and you see three blurry figures race towards you. "Oh shell, (Name)! What happened to you?" a voice harshly asks. "(Name,) can you hear me?"

You blink and could make out the three figures wearing red, purple, and orange masks. "I'll… be fine," you whisper in a choppy voice as you close your eyes.

You feel a warm touch on your forehead. "You won't be for much longer if we don't get you to the lair now," another voice said. You felt yourself being scooped up by two strong arms. Slowly they lift you up, firmly holding you close. "Careful, Raph, careful. Mikey, grab a blanket, hurry."

"Where's Leo," you hear April ask.

"He went paroling the sewers on the other side of the city. He'll be back later," the voice answers.

"Ok. I have to talk to him as soon as he gets back." You didn't like the way April sounded. She was determined. Your gut wrenched even more at the thought of Leo finding out about this. But, for the time being, you want nothing but rest.

You are carried to the Shellrazor and gently laid on a table. The warmth and comfort of the blanket felt relieving to your shivering body. A gentle hand strokes your hair. "You're gonna make it, kid," the voice says, "You're gonna make it." You slightly open your eyes and see two golden eyes clad with red staring back. Your eyes feel heavy and droop again. You are exhausted.

As you drift off, you hear another voice ask, "Who would do this?"

"We're gonna find out," the other voice answered, growling. "Ok, April, start talk'n. What happened?"


	2. Chapter 2

2 months ago…

"Let me go, you freak!" you yell, struggling in Hun's grip. You knew it is pointless trying to fight him, considering you are a twig compared to his massive body; yet, you fight him anyway. He has you over his shoulder as he carries you to some unknown location.

"I'm the freak?" Hun darkly laughs. "I'm not the one who spends my time with four filthy mutants and their rodent master in the sewers of New York City. I'm surprised you're not infected with some sort of disease by now." He firmly crushes you under his arm and you gasp for air. "And any friend of the turtles ain't a friend of mine."

It isn't long until you realize he is taking you to some remote place on the out skirts of the city. It is quiet, for the most part, and shadows loom everywhere. You start to feel nervous. Hun feels your nervousness, too, and he chuckles. You hoist yourself up and look behind you. You are approaching an old-looking, rundown warehouse. It is dark and dead. You clench your stomach as you enter.

Once inside, Hun slams the door behind him and throws you off his shoulder. You crash to the ground, your head spinning from the impact. You are about to snap at him when suddenly a light turns on behind you.

"Hello, my dear," a lanky, dark figure says. His voice is smooth, but with a dark twist in his tone. You couldn't help but inch away as he walks into the light. For a moment, you don't recognize him, then he says, "I am Agent John Bishop."

Your heart skips a beat and you gasp. "You're Bishop?"

"Good. You know who I am," He smiles, straightening his tie. "Then there is no need for an introduction." You jump to your feet and try to make a break for it. Hun, however, quickly grabs your arm and holds you still as Bishop steps even closer to you. "No doubtingly the turtles introduced me to you. Didn't they?"

The turtles did tell you about Agent Bishop and the horrors he inflicts upon people for "the greater good." Leatherhead filled you in on that. Of all the enemies the turtles have faced, other than Karai, they warned you to specifically stay clear of Bishop. And yet, here he is, standing right in front of you.

"What do you want?" you whimper.

Bishop smiles and strokes your cheek with the back of his hand, making you shutter. "Well, if the turtles have already filled you in, then you know exactly what I want." He roughly grabs your neck and hoists your face up so he is looking you dead in your (Eye Color) eyes. "I know who you are, (Name.) You wouldn't happen to recall my agents running into you a few years back?"

You did remember. That was when you first met the turtles when they saved you from being taken by those goons.

"In a failed attempt to capture new test subjects," Bishop explains, "we have gained another asset in our search for the turtles—you. We did a little research and found just enough to use to our advantage. So, if you value your life more than your friends, you will tell me where they are."

"And when I don't?" You growl. You would never give up the guys so easily.

Hun bats your head as a way to say, 'Watch your tone.'

"I knew you would say that," Bishop says as he stands up straight, looking down on you from behind his dark glasses. "But we're going to make you talk, one way or another."

"What? Yah gonna kidnap me?"

"No. We're not going to kidnap you," he explains. "We have failed in kidnapping one too many times. You are familiar with April 'O Neil, yes? We would hold her for a number of weeks in the past. No matter what tortures we gave her, she still kept her mouth shut, until those blasted turtles would come to the rescue, still leaving us with several unanswered questions. So devastating." He grips his fists tightly. "We've become desperate. So, now that you are part of the picture, we have a new plan." He smiles grimly at you as he speaks. "We know you are friends with the turtles, (Name.) We also know you know where they are. Until you tell us exactly what we want to know, you will come to this location where we will… persuade you into telling us where we can find them."

"What do you mean?"

Hun Chuckles behind you and you flinch. "The turtles are enemies of the Purple Dragons." He patted the Dragon tattoo on is arm. "We have been itching to put some hurt on those freaks for a long time. And if there is anything I have learned from them, it's that there is no greater pain than seeing a loved one suffer." He grips you tighter. You wince and try to get away, but it is no use. "Bishop came to us with a plan. He has the info, we have the muscle. Until you tell us what we need to know, you will become our new chew toy." You gasp and tremble with fear. "Don't worry. We're under oath not to kill you, but anything goes to get you to talk."

You are freeze at this statement. You would never give up your friends, of course, but Hun was right. They turtles would undoubtingly come looking for a fight if they see you hurt— Raph would, anyway. Seems like Bishop planned this out well. Even if you didn't cave, the turtles will find out sooner or later and come running.

You knew you won't like the answer, but you ask any way. "What happens if I refuse?"

"You're a cautious one, aren't you?" Bishop says. "Like I said before, we did a like research and found out where you live. You have a nice family, too. If you refuse to cooperate, try to get help, or run away, I'll send in my agents to abduct you and your family when you least expect it. I'll have you watch helplessly as we kill them on the spot—one by one."

"No," you whisper, tears forming in your eyes.

"All you'll do is watch, knowing you could have saved them, but their deaths were on you. I have very little patience for such matters."

You felt a solid lump rise in your throat. Bishop really is a mad man. He literally lefty you with no choice. You couldn't risk getting your family involved in this, too, and you would never give up your mutant family either. There really is no choice, is there? You mind strains under the pressure. It is too much to take in at once. In a shaky voice, you surrender with a sigh, "I'll do it."

Bishop pats you on the head. "Good girl." Hun lets you go and you pay close attention on what you are supposed to do. "You see the turtles often, yes? Well, we don't want to make this too obvious yet, so you will come here every other day at 8:30 pm," Bishop instructed.

"The turtles will defiantly think something is up if you go missing, and we don't want them in on it just yet," Hun says. "Instead of kidnapping you, you will come to us, alone. It makes it less inconspicuous to see you are willingly coming here. You will do so every other day until we have what we need."

"Understand?" Bishop says. "Don't forget. My agents are already in position near your house, ready to strike. You mess up once, it will be the end for you."

You nod, tears rolling down your face.

"We begin tomorrow."

As you leave the warehouse, thoughts race through your mind like a panicked rabbit. You head back home, trying to find a loop hole in Bishops deal to get everyone out of this. You look up at the building across the street and see several dark figures watch you from the roof. _I have to find a way out of this_, you thought. _I will never give you guys up. Never. But how long will I last under this deal? _Not to mention the safety of your own family._ I'm sorry guys… but I think I have to figure this out on my own. Sorry to keep you in the dark, but it's to keep you safe. All of you safe_. You promise yourself you will figure something out.

For the next few days, you follow Bishop's instructions. Every other day at 8:30 pm, you arrive at the warehouse over the border of the city. Every time he is there, watching you get beaten down, pounded into the ground by the Purple Dragons, waiting for you to crack under the pressure. You never do. Most of the beatings were nothing too bad. They would knock you around and you would brush it off the next day and visit the guys like nothing has happened.

As the weeks drag on, however, the beatings become worse and worse. Sometimes you would lie there on the dirt floor, begging for them to stop and Bishop would say, "Tell us where they are." You refused to answer and they would continue beating you. You would try to fight back or scream for help, but you are too far away for anyone to hear you. You start to see the turtles less and less because the bruises are becoming a little more obvious. About a month into the abuse, you finally go to April. You realize you are breaking your part of the deal by telling her, but since when is Bishop known to keep his end of a bargain either? You take April some place private and tell her everything that has been going on. She, of course, suggests to get help, but you turn down her advice. More people's lives than just your own is at stake. You tell her until you figure something out, to keep this a secret. You make her promise not to tell the turtles—especially Leonardo.

2 months later…

"You're more stubborn than I thought," Bishop said. "I'm losing my patients, (Name.) Are you going to tell me where they are or not?"

You remain silent as you glare at him.

"Alright then," Bishop says. He leaves the warehouse and Hun walks in with a thick leather strap. He smiles as he walks towards you. You panic as you see several Purple Dragons emerge from the shadows wielding bats, crowbars, planks, or anything that could be made into a weapon. They close in on you.

What happens next you think is a bad dream. This beating lasts well over ten minutes. Pain rips through your body. You come in and out of consciousness a couple of times. You can barely fight back, you can barely stand, and you can barely scream for help—not like anyone is going to hear you. When the Dragons are finally done with you, they leave you lying in a messy heap on the dirt floor.

Hun kneels beside you. "You would go this far for them?"

You didn't answer—you couldn't answer.

"Fine by me," he laughs. "I may not be beat'n the crap out of the turtles, but seeing you half dead on the floor is just as satisfying." He gives your body one last kick before leaving the warehouse, laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

You find yourself dozing off again. There really isn't anything else you can do. You are too weak to move and your vision blurs in and out. You can barely hear April's or the turtles' voices, or the rumble of the Shellrazor as it zooms back to the lair. Even with the blanket wrapped around you, you are cold. It's like the heat is vanishing from your body. Mikey's warm touch is all you cling to.

It isn't long before you faintly hear Raph's voice as you feel your body being lifted. You limp in his arms. Donnie's voice is heard next, followed by Mikey's panicky toned voice. You hear Donnie's voice again, probably telling Mikey to calm down, then instructing Raph to hurry to the lab. You hardly feel yourself being laid down on the table. The last thing you hear is Donnie's voice before blacking out completely.

It feels like only minutes later when you open your eyes again. You still feel groggy, but you are amazed at how much better you feel. Well, much better since the last time you remember. There were still some pains here and there, but over all, you were feeling better.

You gather the strength to slightly sit up in your bed, resting your aching back against the pillow, and look around. You recognize you are in the back of Donnie's lab. It is dimly lit, probably to help you sleep better. You also notice you are hooked up to an IV bag. Well, it is better to have Donnie fix you up than have to explain to the doctors and nurses at a hospital about what happened. Not to mention explaining this to your mom and dad.

You pull your arms from under to covers to see the damage. Your left arm is wrapped in gauze from the wrist up to the elbow. You feel your shoulder is relocated, as well. Your hand has a wrap around the palm and a few bandages on the fingers. Your right arm appeared to have a stitch in the forearm. Your elbow has a pad strapped to it, as well as your shoulder. There is a wrapping around your upper arm and a few of your fingers were completely wrapped from the fingertip to the palm. You can still see several bruises scattered amongst both arms. They are still sore, but they feel better. _If this is what my arms look like_, you think, _I wonder what the rest of me looks like._

"Good to see you're back," you hear a voice say. You look in the direction where the voice came from and see a dark figure leaning against the wall in the shadows. It is a large, bulky figure. Too large to be a human body, so you assume it is one of the turtles.

"I'll live," you said.

"I'll make sure of it." The figure steps into the light and you widen your eyes and almost freeze instantly when you see the blue cloth drape over his broad, green shoulders. "How are you feeling?" Leonardo asks as he walks toward you.

"I'll be ok," you answer, looking down at your hands which have already clenched up in nervousness. "Umm… how does the rest of me look?" you ask, still not making eye contact.

"You have a couple of fractured bones, a cracked rib, and possibly a slightly damaged organ," Leo says. "Donnie fixed you up the best he could. You still have a couple of injuries that need to be taken care of, but your body needs time and rest more than anything to recover."

"I understand," you say.

Leo hunches over, clenches the bedside rails, and hangs his head. You hear him breathe, slow and deep, but you dare not look at him and continue to stare at your hands. You feel a wave of guilt wash over you, your hands begin to sweat, but you remain still and say nothing. The two of you are silent for a while.

Leo finally raises his head. "Why didn't you tell me?" his voice low and stern. He looks away from you while asking the question, his hands still gripping the railing.

You feel the words rising in your throat, but they get stuck. You choke up and whimper, your shoulders quivering as you look away in shame.

"(Name,) why didn't you tell me?" Leo repeats, his voice a little louder, more firm and angry. He glares at you.

"I couldn't," you answer in a tone matching his volume. You exhale a shaky breath to calm yourself. You feel a new guilt sting your heart for talking to Leo that way. You repeat softly, "I couldn't."

Leo sighs to calm himself, as well. "April told me everything," he said. You wince. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I know," you say, looking down at your hands in defeat. A sudden shock bursts from your body when the realization hits you. You sit straight up. "What time is it? What day is it? My family!" Your body jolts in pain and you cry out as you flop back. Leo catches you and softly lays you back down. You breathe unsteadily, in pain from the shock and filled with concern for your family Bishop has secretly threatened.

"Easy, easy," Leo says rubbing your head. "Casey and April had been sent to sneak your family to a new location yesterday. Bishop's agents won't find them. They'll be fine." You breathing steadies. You take a deep breath in relief. Leo stands up right. You feel the icy sting of his stare on you. "We're going to have to face Bishop."

A new heart-wrenching pain hits you now. Those were the words you did not want to hear. Those were the words you sacrificed yourself for so they would never be spoken. In this state, that is the last thing you want to hear. "Leo, you can't," you say, connecting with his stare as you sit up again. "That's exactly what Bishop wants."

"It is undoubtingly a trap," he says, "but no one takes our friends and puts them through such tortures and gets away with it."

"Leo, please don't do it," you plea again. "I don't think I can stand seeing one of you get hurt…"

Leo's eyes widened with rage. "SEEING ONE OF US GETTING HURT?!" He clutches his head with his hands and storms over to the wall. "One of _us_ getting hurt?!" You watch in horror by his reaction. You clench the blankets with your shaky hands and stare at him, frozen in fear. You expected him to punch the wall, but instead, he lays his forearm against the wall and presses his forehead on his arm. He breathes heavily, his shoulders still tightened with anger. He speaks softer, "One of _us_ getting hurt? You could have died, (Name.) We could have lost you."

You say, almost in a whisper, "I would never tell anyone anything about you guys, Leo."

"You would go that far at the cost of your life?" he growls, glaring at you harshly. You remain silent as your eyes trail back to your hands. Leo waits until he has calmed down a bit. "Do you know how scared I was when they brought you in? When I saw you there, lying limp on the table, I was enraged. You nearly flat lined three times during the operation. If you had died then and there, I don't know what I would have done with myself." He takes a deep cleansing breath. "Remember when we first met a few years back? We knew taking another human in as a friend would have its risks. We promised—I promised—to protect you. Now, seeing you like this, my heart is grief-stricken with failure. The very thought of you being killed hurts so much."

Tears form in your eyes. You realize the choices you have made to keep your friends safe has actually pained them instead. The deal was a win-win for Bishop in the end. Looks like his plan had worked after all.

"Leo…" you try to say, swallowing the lump back down your throat. Leo looks at you with great sadness in his eyes. You look away, feeling cold, trying hard to force that choking lump back down again. "Leo…" you try to say again. You are breathing heavily and you shudder.

You then feel a warm touch stroke your cheek. You look to see Leo knelt beside your bed. He gently reaches for the back of your head and gently pushes you toward him. He leans in and your forehead touches his. He feels very warm and the contact seems to calm your senses. His eyes are closed as he softly strokes your (color) hair. You can't help but close your eyes as you gradually calm down.

The two of you just relax for a while—completely silent. It's like you can feel Leo's fear of almost losing you wash away, and the guilt of hurting him wash from you. Then, you muster up the courage to speak. "Leo, how can I keep you guys safe?"

Leo answers, eyes still closed, "Keep yourself safe." He clenches a hand full of your hair. "Please. Don't worry about us. Just keep yourself safe."

You hold his arm possessively. "I promise," you whisper. "I'm so sorry." Leo lets out a sigh of relief. He stands up and forgivingly rubs your head. You ask, "What happens now?"

"We go after Bishop. We need to get you off his grid and erase as much data on you as we can. The good agent tends to use even the smallest of information to his advantage. We pay him a little visit and make sure he will never get to you again."

You gulp, but you trust your friends. All you can say is, "Be careful."

"Always," Leo smiles. "Until you completely heal and we secure your safety, you'll have to stay in the lair where I can keep an eye on you. No running off, got it?"

You smile. "Fair enough."

You watch Leo leave, then you relax in your bed, relieved that everything is going to be ok.


	4. Chapter 4

A thick, fabric bag is roughly yanked off your head. You squeeze your eyes shut and turn your face away from the sudden harshness of the blinding light.

"Hello, (Name,)" you hear a voice say. Your heart skips a beat and you gasp. You recognize that voice. That smooth, soothing low voice with a dark twist. You snap your eyes open, not caring if they have adjusted to the light yet. You cringe. There he is. He is standing right in front for you, again. Agent John Bishop.

"No!" you shout. You are so overcome by shock and fear that you barely realize your hands and bound tightly behind your back and your legs are tied to the legs of the chair you are seated in. You also come to realize you are in a very small, white room. The walls are white and the floor is white, like you're trapped in a forever blank void of hopelessness. There is not furniture except for the chair you are sitting in. "No… I… I escaped from you."

Bishop's grin that devilish grin of his. "You can never escape from us, (Name.) You can never escape from me."

As you fight against your restrains, you snap, "We're done with the deal, Bishop. It's all over. Now, let me go!"

Bishop chuckles darkly and shakes his head as he approaches you. "The deal isn't over yet, (Name.) You're still alive, aren't you? So, we keep going."

You cringe as his shadow casts over you, yet you growl at him.

"Don't get feisty with me, little lady. You brought this on yourself. Like I said, I have very little patients with such matters." Bishop speaks into a communicator on his wrist and says, "Bring them in."

On the other side of wall, you hear muffled voices. You listen closely and your eyes widen. Muffled or not, you recognize them as the voices of your family. They sound panicked and scared as they scramble for a way out of whatever containment is holding them.

"Bishop, what are you doing?!" You cry out.

He kneels next to you and brushes your cheek with the back of his hand. "We need to speed thing up," he says, "I'm growing tiered of your stubbornness, so we're going to try something else. You will tell me the location of the turtles' lair one way or the other." He gets up and speaks into the communicator, watching you closely. "Wait for my signal," he says.

"No, don't. Please!" you croak, your heartbeat thumping wildly in your chest.

You whimper as Bishop roughly grabs your face. He says softly, "Tell me what I want to know, and you and your family will be free. It's that simple." He looks deep into your frightened, (Eye Color) eyes, gleaming with tears as you try to hold them back. "Your family is trapped in a confined spaced room. Much the one you're in. Only there is a firing squad ready and aimed at them, waiting for my command to kill every single one of them if you don't cooperate with me, right now."

You hank your face free and croak, "Bishop, stop; please. I didn't tell anyone about this, I swear. This is between you and me. Just let them go."

Bishop ignores your plea for mercy and stands up. He speaks into his communicator. "On my mark, gentlemen."

You gasp and tug hard on your restrains. "No no no, wait!"

"Five…"

"Bishop!" Your eyes grow wider and wider. Your heart beats faster and faster.

"Four…"

"Wait! Please, wait!"

"Three…"

"STOP IT!" You scream, tears beginning to stream down your cheeks.

"Where are they?" Bishop asks. It sickens you that he is calm and collected while you are panicked and distraught.

"I don't know where they are! I don't!"

He only shrugs and continues his count down. "Two…"

Suddenly, with no control, you blurt out the location of the turtles' lair with all your might. You lungs and chest ach in pain from the force of your voice… but nothing comes out. Only dead silence.

Bishop locks eyes with you. A grin creeps on his face. "I couldn't hear you, dear." He turns his back on you and speaks into the communicator. "Fire."

Your body freezes when you hear the rapid firing sound of guns and your family's helpless cries on the other side of the wall. You take in a deep breath as you gasp, your mouth agape and dry. The sound of their blood-curdling screams as the bullets pass through their bodies makes your heart feel as if it had stopped. You feel some sort of weight on your conscience getting heavier and heavier by the ton for every scream that gets cut off, until there is dead silence. There is no more screaming, no more guns firing; just silence. Bishop turns towards you, grinning. "Where they really worth it, (Name?)"

A violent scream rips through your throat. Your body trembles. A river of hot tears pour from your horrified, wide eyes. Your chest is in so much pain from your screaming that it practically is begging you to stop. But you don't. You can't even form words. You just scream.

Over your screaming, you hear Bishop say, "Well, that didn't get you to talk either." Through your vision is flooded by tears, you see him pull a dagger from his sleeve. "I guess there is no need for you anymore." He charges at you, plunging the knife deep in your heart. "Now you are free to go!" he darkly laughs…

You feel yourself being held firmly as you thrash about in a panic. You scream, "LET ME GO! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

You then feel yourself being shaken. You fight against whatever force is retraining you, whining and whimpering, until you hear, "(NAME,) WAKE UP!" Gradually, you regain consciousness as you snap out of your nightmare. Your eyes open wide. Once they adjust to the dim room, you see you are face to face with Leonardo. You are laying on the floor in his lap and he is tightly gripping your shoulders. He looks relieved that you are awake, but still overly concerned. You are breathing heavily, yet unsteadily. You are sweating badly and your eyes are wet. You were dreaming, but your chest still aches, as if Bishop had actually struck you with his blade.

Leo places his hand on your damp cheek and looks into your eyes. "Steady. It's ok." You heave a shaky sigh. Leo pulls you in, letting you rest your head on his shoulder. Minding your recovering injuries, he holds you gently.

You quiver in his arms, trying to catch your breath. It has been three weeks since you've escaped the deal with Bishop. But, ever since then, you can't get him out of your mind.

"You know you're safe now, right?" Leo whispers, reassuringly rubbing your head. You nod. He waits for a moment, then asks, "What happened?"

The very thought of what happened makes you cringe. Leo notices this and holds you steady. "He found me," You whimper. A flashing image of Bishop's face races through your head. "He found me. He found me…" You repeat it over and over, your voice becoming choppy with fear and your body trembling with anxiety.

"Ssshh," Leo says, rubbing his nose in your hair as he rocks you, trying to calm you down. "Ssshh. He's not going to find you, (Name.) You're safe here."

You believe him, but fear still over takes you. "But what if he does?" you whimper.

"He won't," Leo immediately answers.

"But what if he does, Leo?" you ask again with great concern in your voice.

Leo is silent for a moment. He senses your stress, your fear. "(Name,) I promise you, he is not going to find you. You are down here with us and your family is with Casey outside of the city. April's keeping an eye out on the streets during the day and will report anything to us that will give us a lead. Everything is going to be ok. If he does find you, I swear, I'm not going to let him touch you. Ever." He growls as he feels the multiple bandages on your body.

You cling to him, believing that he will never let any harm come to you again. You are still afraid, but you sigh in submission. Leo gentle picks you up and carries you back to your bed. He lays you down, covers you up, and rubs your head one last time. "I promise, (Name.)"

You watch Leo walk back over to the corner of the room where he voluntarily stays to watch over you at night. He seats himself on a mat and practically disappears in the shadows. You know he is watching you closely, which makes you feel all the more safe. That nightmare, however, felt so real. But, it was just a nightmare. You attempt to fall asleep again, but you can't help but feel something is going to happen.


End file.
